Hammam Arsya Bullseyes from the Saddle

The brown stallion galloped along the horse track at Ayub Camp, Klaten, Central Java, on a bright morning in early November. Sitting firmly in the saddle, Hammam Arsya Kanaya held his bow steady

The horse sprinted past several archery target boards. As he approached the target in front of him, Hammam raised his bow and drew the arrow. In a single motion, he released it, striking directly onto the target board.

Hammam, an Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) Architecture student, first became interested in horseback riding during his junior high school years at Pondok Pesantren (Boarding School) Salman Al-Farisi, Karangpandan, Karanganyar Regency, Central Java.

Learning horseback riding requires a long process. At first, Hammam had to become accustomed to taking care of the school’s horses, bathing them, cleaning their horseshoes, cleaning the stable, and regularly providing food and water.

He had to carry out those activities during his first year of joining horseback riding. Once a week, Hammam rode the horse around the field. “So there’s bonding between the rider and the horse,” he said.

Even so, Hammam has experienced being kicked and bitten by a horse. Those incidents left bruises and wounds on several parts of his body. “If the horse is big, the kick really hurts,” he added with a laugh.

His learning process wasn’t limited to the school environment. His parents would often take him to ride horses at a racetrack in Klaten, Central Java.

As a teenager, Hammam also learned archery. He admitted that he initially practiced it separately. He only discovered horseback archery, which combines riding and archery, in 2020, when he had just moved up to senior high school at Pondok Pesantren Salman Al-Farisi.

He recalled how his teacher once took him to watch a horseback archery competition in Pabelan Village, Sukoharjo, Central Java. That moment sparked his desire to pursue the sport. “Moreover, both of these sports are sunnah, and my parents fully support me,” he said.

Hammam and his coach during horseback archery practice at Ayub Camp, Klaten, Central Java, in early November. UMS Public Relations/Imam Safii

Born in Surakarta, Central Java, on 11 June 2004, Hammam first competed in horseback archery in Sukoharjo Regency in 2022. At that time, he was in his final year of senior high school. The competition served as a regional selection for the national horseback archery championship.

Hammam qualified and advanced to the provincial selection round in Klaten, organized by the Indonesian Horse Riding Sports Association (Pordasi). He secured second place, earning him a ticket to the national championship in Malang, East Java. However, he had to settle for Grade 6 in that national event.

Refusing to stop there, Hammam spent the rest of 2022 participating in various competitions to sharpen his skills. He joined seven tournaments throughout 2022 and successfully collected two gold medals from the Soloraya Championship and the Perdana Regional Championship held by  the Indonesian Horseback Archers Association.

Hammam even took a gap year to fully focus on horseback archery competitions. “2022 was when I was really active,” he said.

Point by point, he continued to collect achievements. His name is now listed in the ranking of athletes under the International Horseback Archery Alliance (IHAA). Hammam once ranked Top 100+ in the world. But his ranking has since slipped to 266 with a total score of 73.72 points. “Not every competition in Indonesia is recognized for IHAA scoring,” he explained.

After enrolling in the Architecture program at UMS in 2023, Hammam continued to compete, although not as intensely as during his gap year. Fortunately, he still managed to secure two silver medals, one of which came from the Central Java Provincial Sports Week in Pati Regency.

A bigger opportunity opened in 2024. He was selected to represent Central Java in the 2024 Aceh-North Sumatra National Sports Week (PON) for the horseback archery competition. Hammam competed in two categories: senior serial shoot and senior men’s team

Hammam shared that the matches he competed in were exhibition events. This marked the debut of horseback archery in the history of PON. It is unsurprising, as horseback archery is still relatively new in Indonesian sports.

Even though it was only an exhibition event, Hammam remained highly motivated in the arena. He brought home a bronze medal in the serial shoot category and a gold medal in the team category.

Hammam Arsya Kanaya (right) after winning a bronze medal in the exhibition match at the National Sports Week (PON) Aceh–North Sumatra, September 2024.

Hammam sees great potential for the development of horseback archery in the Solo Raya region. Interest in archery, horseback riding, and horseback archery continues to grow over time. “But the issue is, there’s still a lack of training facilities,” he said.

He also acknowledged that there are still many challenges in horseback archery, ranging from athlete development and sports federation management to horseback archery competitions in Indonesia.

Ideally, Hammam explained, the competition pathway for athletes should begin from regional selection, then provincial selection, national championships, and finally PON. However, he noted that the current Pordasi competition system requires national championship winners to undergo another selection process to qualify for PON. He hopes that future improvements can be focused on the management and competition system of horseback archery in Indonesia.

Amid his busy schedule as a student, Hammam remains determined to balance his studies with his sport competitions. He admitted that he aims to maintain both his skills and his IHAA points. “If possible, it should be balanced,” he said. “IHAA points can be pursued, but they definitely require a long time.”

Writes: Gede Arga Adrian

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid

Editor: Al Habiib Josy Asheva